Father,Templar,Friend
by Shy Cub Kuvu
Summary: Somewhere on an island in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The year is 1781 and it is at this place and this time that an older templar and a younger Assassin shall meet for the first and maybe even for the last time. Rated T for violence and coursing


One shot

Father,Templar,Friend

1781

Watching the waves crashing against the island's shore gave me a feeling of complete inner peace.

Well, almost complete inner peace, as i'd become restless by the sight of the vessel approaching from the south side of the island.

I always knew that sooner or later i'd be rediscovered by someone.

I also knew that undoubtedly it would be an assassin who'd track me down.

Once again, I took out my spyglass and gazed towards the approaching ship.

The Aquilla , i had heard of her before.

A fine ship under the command of an idealistic assassin by the name of Ratonhaketon, or so i'd heard.

Now said ship was heading straight for this little island i had called a home for the last few weeks only occasionally sending doves to the mainland with either letters to my dear ones or instructions regarding my small fleet of trading ships i still had left after the last war.

These weeks of solitude were recomended to me by my good friend Doctor Laugensetzer, who told me that my back pain stemmed from too much stress.

So i asked a few of my good friends to watch my lovely wife(although god knows she's as handy with a sword as a man at the king's court) and make sure my children aren't up to too much immature nonsense.

I already knew that the assassin who was aboard that ship had come to kill me the moment i first saw his flag on the horizon.

Now if i had the intention of giving him a fair fight and letting the best man win i would've just gone down to the shore and waited for him to leave his boat , maybe shake his hand first and then get swiftly started with the clash of swords.

Or maybe we could've done it like these idiotic upper class students do it and duel one another with our pistols.

But ales my plans didn't involve a fair fight or even hand to hand combat.

I made my way towards a collection of strong branched trees , climbed up and waited only armed with my air rifle and my hidden blade.

I already felt that time had taken a not yet to remarkable mark, but a mark nonetheless on me that i could feel.

I used to climb faster when i was younger. I turned 50 a few months ago and it struck me almost like lightning that all those years truly had gone by.

But i did not mourn the time passed as a child mourns a dead puppy by but felt rather happy about my experiences.

I heard a twig break under someones weight .

How long had i been reminiscing?

However long it was , it had been long enough for the Indian boy , he was probably half my age , to enter the island and move closer towards my position..

I took my air rifle , aimed and ...was caught off guard by the indian boy who must've heard me move , he looked up and without a second of hesitation threw a rope dart at me.

I managed to dodge it but in doing so lost my balance and fell off the tree right into a shrubbery underneath.

Once landed i rolled out of the damn scratchie twig collection of a plant just in the knick of time as i saw Ratonhaketons tomahawk crash down on the spot where i'd been merely a second ago.

„Fucking 'ell „ i exlaimed as i got up on my feet about to aim again with my air rifle.

However, I had lost it during my fall.

Ratonhaketon once again swung his tomahawk at me.

I leaped backwards, avoiding the sharp blade once again.

" Hey, carefull with that."

I said as my eyes spotted my air rifle.

It hung on a low tree branch , just sitting there as if i wasn't in live threatening danger.

Only problem , both the tree and the gun were located a few feet behind Ratonhaketon, who curiously enough was now staring at me more calculating than before.

„ Templar , just give up and i promise you a painlesss, quick death"

I had to chuckle at that.

„ Nay thanks a prefer a deathless death , but i appreciate your offer"

This seemed to make Ratonhaketon a tad more angry and he ran towards me yet again.

He swung from the left and i was ready to counter, but then in what i had previously only seen during ballet performances at the Arostogratic curt he spun around while doing so kicked my kneecap almost breaking it and to end this performance of strategic hand to hand combat engaged his hidden blade and tried to ram it right into my skull.

Despite my kneecap hurting like the devils diarea itself i managed to stop the blade midair.

Though it came at a price.

The fucking thing pierced through my hand and i yelled out in pain as blood started to spurt out

With the words" Ye fucking bastard, yer fuking crazy"i headbudded Ratonhaketon , who was caught of guard by the sheer force of my Irish thick stubborn skull.

He tumbled backwards and by doing so removed his hidden blade from my hand. I let out yet another pain filled cry.

My pain swiftly turned to anger and i tackled the still somewhat dizzy headed Ratonhaketon.

He just stumbled back a bit from the impact.

I definitely had underestimated his strength because I flailed to the ground trying to stop my fall, I obviously used my hands, but the pain of the blade wound was too strong and i fell face first into the dirt.

Managing to get up again, I looked around for Ratonhaketon.

My head was throbbing with pain.

My vision was slightly blurred, but that figure charging towards me was definitely the Indian boy.

I was about to make another evasion manouver, when I noticed something dangling from a low branch right in front of me .

It was my air rifle .

Of course , ratonhaketon and i had basically switched places during the fight.

I plucked it from the tree like an apple.

Lacking the time to properly aim I took a shot at Ratonhaketon and was almost ready to lean back and watch him drop, when I realized that , despite the fact that i just hit him with a sleeping dart directly in an exposed part of his chest, he was still running towards me.

Next thing I knew, I was getting bitchslapped by Ratonhaketon's tomahawk.

I can only guess that the dart had taken a few seconds longer to work on Ratonhaketon since the slap I recieved was painfull, but a lot less forceful than any attack that had come before

Ratonhaketon slowly started to move more and more sluggish until he finally collapsed.

I went and felt his pulse .

Slow as to be expected from a sleeping man.

I sighed in relief and sat down, leaning against a tree resting for a moment.

„Ye know what' yer a real pain in the ass son"

Twenty, maybe twenty three minutes later, i had tied the Indian up and was now waiting for him to wake up.

I had also managed to mend to my hand, but the pain still lasted.

With a groan , the vicious killer awoke from his sleep.

„Top a the mornin to ya , or rather top of the evening. Y'know i didn't get to tell it to you when you were awake, but yer a real pain in the ass."

He tried to move just to realize that i had immobilized him.

„It's a safety measure. Wouldn't want any of us to injure the other more than we already did.„

He looked at me with suspicion in his eyes.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

I was quite happy about the Indians directness, it spared me some unnescessary chit chat. I mean, i'm not opposed to a friendly talk, but with enemys these talks tended to be less friendly and more insulting.

„ Well my dear aggressive yet unarguably strong „

I still felt my scar pulsating

" friend. I intend to ask you a few questions and depending on the answers you'll give me, i will either let you live or kill you."

The assassin still looked at me with a hint of disgust nonetheless he nodded.

Good, some cooperation is better than none.

„First question , how did you find me?. After parting ways with the Templar order all those years ago I made damn shoure not to be found by anyone whom I didn't want to find me."

The stubborn look on the assassin's face displayed the faintest hint of a smile.

" You've met the man named Benjamin Franklin?"

Of course, franklin. The old man was always curius and friendly to most people he meets.

" I see. I don't quite get why you thought it to be wise to hunt me down. I haven't killed in over a decade and i don't plan doing so again"

I meant what i said, though by the looks of it the assassin was less convinced.

„ Why should i trust you , Templar."

Some people.

„Well for once, i let you live...that is if you don't try to kill me ." The indians fierce gaze didn't soften but became more aggressive. „

And secondly, I'm just a trades person with a family now"

This statement caught him off guard. „You have a family ? „ He asked with a mix of curiosity and bewilderment.„

Yes a beautiful wife a daughter and a son. My daughter Mary is 16 and my son Joshua is 12. „

A nurturing moment of silence passed which allowed me to take a deep breath and consider my next question towards the Indian boy or , should he ask questions , consider my answers.

Truth be told I rarely tell people about my wife and children outside of ireland.

As much as I love all three of them , there's always the chance of someone overhearing a conversation with the intend of getting back at me for having taken a profitable trade deal right from under their noses.

Some gentleman aren't opposed to blackmailing , kidnapping and murder in order to get what they want.

Caution is a virtue towards these men and woman.

„ Did you know my father ?"

The indian boy spoke, ripping me out of my inner thoughts.

„ What ?" I looked at him in confusion.

"I never thought about this up until you mentioned your family, but you are a Templar and my father was a Templar grandmaster, so i thought that you might have met him once or maybe twice."

Now the boy had gotten my curiosity.

„Who was your father then ?"

A flock of seagulls flew overhead and a strong breeze rustled through the pine trees.

„ Haythem Kenway."

His answer made way too much sense , so much so that i laked any sort of surprise but rather expressed a feeling of certainty .

„ Yer Haythems boy, well I can't say I saw that coming. Though in hindsight, it adds up"

Connor raised his left brow.

„ How so ?" I looked up into the sky shielding my eyes from the sinking sun's fierce rays.

„Yer skilled on the level of an Assassin, but more importantly yer sporting a certain look i've last seen before glimmering in yer fathers eyes.

It's the look of a man determined to act according to his believes but who's beliefs have lost in certainty over time.

From what i know about your father that makes sense.

He lost quite a few people who were either dear to him or at least well known aquaintences during his youth. „

I paused and redirected my look towards Connor again.

„ I've heard a few stories about you , connor. I'm not sure which ones are true and which ones were forged out of thin air and a few to many drinks.

One of these stories told of you, or another Indian boy coming dangerously close to killing Haythem."

I looked at Connors face, hoping for a foolish smile or a disregarding chuckle , shoving aside these ludacris stories and exposing them as nothing but hogwash.

„I was the one who killed my father". Connor stated factually, seemingly untouched by the implications of his own words.

Not having expected the news of Haythems demise, I took a seat.

„ Honestly i barely knew him back then.

It was only when I stumbled upon his journal that I got to know the man better and gained an understanding of his cause or at least his motives. „

A few minutes passed without either of us saying a word.

„ Shay Patrick was it ?" Connor asked.

"Yes"

I replied.

„ Listen , my people are waiting on the „Aquila" for my return.

If i'm not back on the ship by the next sunset they're ordered to come on the island and kill whomever is opposing them."

„I see"

I said.

„What do you propose we do about that then.?"

Wiggling like a worm , Connor tried once again to shake his constrains of him to no avail, so he spoke .

„ For once i would appreciate it if you could untie me. You have disarmed me anyway, so there should be no concern for your safety.„

The boy was right . At least to an extend , given that he still presumably possessed the strength to crack my skull open with his bare hands.

„ A'ight laddy I'll free ya but I keep my hands on the trigger. „

I warned him while starting to loosen the knots. Once freed Connor rubbed his wrists and stood up, to stretch his legs.

He really was a boulder of a man, standing tall as a golem against the sun.

Seeing him stand there could make a man start believing in those legends which claim the young man slaughtered a whole battalion of British soldiers within a quarter of an hour.

Then he held out his hand in a motion so quick and forceful that I mistook it for an attempt to strike me down, so I leapt back.

The young man let out a chuckle and his facial features got a bit more friendly , be it only for a moment.

He said. „Don not worry I keep my word, I wont do you any harm.

I just intend to reintroduce myself the way you white men always do."

Letting out an embarrassed laugh i shook his hand. „Connor" He said sporting a small but nonetheless trustworthy smile."Connor Kennway"

„Shay" I responded feeling his hand almost crushing mine. „Shay Patrick Cormac, great to meet you".

The sun was sinking and in doing so cast a shadow of mine and Connors handshake across the island as if to signify the end of an era.

We ended the handshake and i said.

„Say, Kennway Junior, what what is your stance on alcohol."

He looked at me in consideration.

„I normaly don't drink"

This answer wasn't really whatI had hoped for. „But „ He added. „On occasion i do enjoy the burning liquid"

Reliefed i turned around and started walking.

„ Follow me Ratonhaketon , i'll show my humble island cabin and the bottles of booze hidden underneathit. The day is still young and the next sunset is at least six hours away „

After we fetched two bottles and made our way back to the fire place , we started talking about our pasts , the people we've met , the people we've lost and those whom we weren't sure about.

We shared quite a few common aquaintanses such as Achilles, who had taught both connor and me quite a few things about the ways of the assassin's creed or Benjamin Franklin , the ambitious yet somewhat quirky politician,

Last but not least we once again talked about Haythem Kennway, the Templer , the wreck , the monster, the master, the father and lastly the man.

We laughed, we mourned and we pondered about what could've been.

„I mean think about „said connor ,his voice a whole lot more sluggish than a few hours ago, his bottle almost empty.

„If he hadn't had such a shitty youth or his sister hadn't been kidnapped and that one dude didn't loose his balls , who knows how good of a father he could've been. „

Almost dropping the bottle Connor waved his Hands in a bewildering fashion.

„I s'pose so" These were definitely the words that escaped my mouth, but i could've sworn the booze made it feel as if it could've been the king of England for all that i knew.

" He didn't have to try and stop me you know. Rakeni...RAKE'niha ….Iah tewake'nikonhraién:ta's ….ista!"

Ratonhaketon yelled out and then buried his head in his hands and for a few moments there was nothing to be heard from him but a quiet whimpering.

As he raised his head again, I spottet a few tears rolling down his left cheek.

In an effort to comfort him I tried to put a hand on his shoulders, but leaning forward I lost my balance and fell of the small boulder i'd been sitting on like a damn fool.

The whimpering in Connors voice turned into a cackle and then fully into a whole hearted laugh.

Laying on my back like a helpless turtle I couldn't help but join in.

„ You know, „ Connor began, „all things considered iI should be glad that things happened the way they did. I grew up without him for almost all of my life and i'm certain that most of the things that happened would've happened regardless of wether or not i was raised with a father or not. „

I nodded. „ Ay lad, that would be true... i think."

We talked and laughed for a few more hours, maybe it was just a few minutes until we embraced morphious arms and fell asleep.

* * *

I was kicked harshly awake by a pair of stinking sailor boots. Opening my eyes i, was meet with the sight of gun barrel pointing at my forehead.

The man with the gun was a rather peculiar looking fella with a fur hat. „What have you done to Captain Kennway"

The sun was shining brightly , it must've been early morning.

I looked around and found Connor lying a few feet away from me being shaken awake by what I assume had to be either his crewman or assassins in training.

A growling noise escaped Connor as he tried to wave the crewman away .

„Captain Kenway, wake up !" Connor opened his eyes and held his hand infront of his eyes to shield them from the sunlight.

"Captain, were you in a fight? Was he the man whom you fought, tell us and his throat is slit in an instant. „

Funny how a hangover can be dealt with in an instant when you're panicked.

„What , no . He is not to be touched. „

Connor said while standing up.

"Is the ship ready ?„

He asked whom i guess could've been his first mate.

"Yes sir.." I stood up and took a better look at connors coleagues.

Now that my eyes had adjusted to the brightness of the day , i could plainly see that most of them were wearing the robes of the assassins creed.

„This man „ Connor stated while pointing at me. „ is not a Templar, not anymore . He is however and honor filled fighter.

He is the man whom I told you about, but as he didn't kill me when he could've , so shall I show mercy towards him. Tell me Shay Patrick Cormac,"

Turning towards me Connor spoke. „ do you need a ride of off this island ?„

Laughing i shook my head. „Thank you Rathonhaketon but i expect my own ship to arrive in two days.

Plus, I don't know how to feel about being on a ship full of assassins. No offence it's just a bit unnerving , knowing that everyone's got a hidden blade and such."

A few chuckles escapped Connor and his crew.

„Alright Mister Cormac as you wish. We'll be off then."

He was about to turn when he reconsidered and walked up to me.

„Actually two things. „ I raised my left eyebrow.

" Yes? „ „Firstly , who was the last Assassin you killed ?"

All eyes were suddenly on me

„Charles Dorian." I answered dryly.

" Ok" Connor answered just as factual, then he held out his hand and said.

„ Till we meet again, Captain Cormac." I shook his hand.

„ I s'pose so Captain Kennway"

I patted him on his shoulder and dissolved the handshake.

As the Aquila sailed towards the horizon i stood there and contemplated all the things i'd experienced through my life.

Once the Aquila was gone, i just kept staring at the waves crashing against the island's shore.

The End


End file.
